Rod Stewart blasts ‘lying public schoolboy’ Boris Johnson and says Labour should win next election

The longtime Tory said he’d grown disillusioned by the country’s string of unelected PMs

Long-time Tory Rod Stewarthas thrown his weight behind Labour’s Keir Starmer ahead of a general election this year.

The British rocker, 79, slammed “lying f***ing public schoolboy” Boris Johnson and called for the Conservatives to be booted out of No10 following a string of unelected prime ministers.

“Keir Starmer and Labour deserve a crack at it,” he toldThe Times in an interview on Friday. “If there was anyone else we could vote for, then maybe, but they should be given a shot.”

Stewart, who moved back to the UK last year after three decades living in Los Angeles, said he was watching “what the Conservatives get up to”.

“Well, I liked Boris Johnson,” he said. “He was a good figurehead, but he turned out to be a lying f***ing public schoolboy. He got found out and things haven’t been much better since. How many prime ministers have we had that haven’t been voted for? What’s all that about?”

His remark is at odds with comments made in June 2023 when he admitted he was “still a bit of a fan” of the former prime minister in the wake of a report, which found Johnson had mislead parliament over illegal gathering in Downing Street during the pandemic.

“I was and still am a bit of a fan of Boris because I think he’s got wonderful charisma,” the “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” star told Sky News.

Rod Stewart previously said he was ‘still a fan’ of Boris Johnson (Sky News)

He added: “But you know, you knew what you were getting with Boris, so it’s not unusual. He’s told a few porkies over the years. So I’m not surprised.

“He’s in big trouble now. But how is he going to make a comeback? I don’t know. Maybe he should talk to me. I’ve been making comebacks for years.”

Six months earlier, the self-professed “long-time Tory” surprised Sky News viewers when he joined a live phone-in about the NHS Crisis, declaring that he had “never seen it so bad”.

“I personally have been a Tory for a long time but I think this government should stand down now and give the Labour Party a go at it,” he told viewers during his unscheduled appearance.

During the call, he also offered to pay for “10 or 20” hospital scans after patients shared their experiences of long waiting lists in the NHS.

He revealed that his desire to help had been sparked by his visit to a private clinic that was basically “empty”.

“There are people dying because they cannot get scans. Now listen to me, I don’t need the publicity, I just want to do some good things and this, I think is a good thing. If other people follow me, I’d love it.”

He told The Times that he felt a duty to help the British public after being knighted by Prince William in 2016.

Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster with the late Queen Elizabeth II, after he received his knighthood for services to music and charity (Getty Images)

“I want to live up to that reputation. I’m a knight — I should do some f***ing good!” he said. “But it’s a double-edged sword. You help out but people say, ‘Oh, he must have an album out.’ Which is so far from the truth.”

Stewart was widely praised in 2019 for disclosing the news that he had been cleared of prostate cancer after privately receiving treatment for the disease for three years.

While appearing at a fundraising event for the Prostate Project and European Tour Foundation – alongside his former Faces bandmates, Ronnie Rood and Kenney Jones – Stewart said that he had learned of his diagnosis in February 2016 following a routine medical check-up, and had gone into remission in July.

“No one knows this, but I thought this was about time I told everybody,” he said. “I’m in the clear now, simply because I caught it early. I have so many tests.”

Addressing men in the audience, Stewart said: “Guys, you’ve got to really go to the doctor. Finger up the bum, no harm done.”

Stewart is releasing his next album Swing Fever, a collaboration with Jools Holland, on 23 February.